Barter Youth Academy Expands into Abingdon Bristol, Bluff City, Mountain City & Marion

Parents who have budding stage stars in their households who are itching to get up on stage and hone their acting skills, take note: registration is now open for the Barter Youth Academy's 2014 theatre workshops, which have expanded this year to include five sites, Abingdon, Bristol, Bluff City, Mountain City and Marion.

The BYA is an educational program that gives students ages 5-18 a chance to learn and develop their performance and storytelling skills by taking them through the entire experience of putting on a show, from the audition to the final performance on stage. Workshops run for eight weeks and in them students use the acting and rehearsing techniques of the Barter Resident Acting Company. BYA provides a safe, positive environment to enhance the abilities for the beginning performer and shape the talents of the advanced youth actor, all culminating in a live performance to display their hard work to their family and friends.

Workshops range from "Cracking-Up Comedy: You Can't Take It with You" for high schoolers to "It Just Takes Courage: Journey to the World's Edge" for middle school, "Reinventing a Tale: The Emperor's New Clothes" for elementary, and "Let's Begin!" for the youngest students, so there is something for all ages.

The BYA team is excited to welcome students all over the region to share an exceptional educational experience, and the expansion to four new locations makes the program even more accessible. Classes will take place at Small Business Incubator in Abingdon, Va.; First Baptist Church in Bluff City, Tenn.; Paramount Theatre in Bristol, Tenn. Lincoln Theatre in Marion, Va.; and Heritage Hall Complex in Mountain City, Tenn.

Spring workshops begin as early as February 3, though dates vary according to site. Spring courses are $175 per student ($100 for ages 5-2nd grade), and generous donors have made scholarships available to students who need assistance. Class sign-up forms, scholarship forms and a full schedule of classes are available for download at http://bartertheatre.com/parents-and-teachers.php#barteryouthacademy. To register by phone with a credit card, call 276.619.3344 or visit the Barter Administrative offices during business hours Monday through Friday to register in person.